Apple's CEO, Tim Cook has sent out an email to Apple employees, and vice president of iOS product marketing, Greg Joswiak has posted a Q&A to AppleWeb outlining some of the messaging and thinking behind the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c products announced at today's iPhone event. Here's an excerpt from Tim Cook's email, posted by Mark Gurman on 9to5Mac:

Today is an important day for Apple. Many of you and your coworkers have been hard at work developing the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, which are the result of incredible collaboration between hardware and software which only Apple can deliver. In the weeks and months to come, especially as we approach the holidays, our Retail teams will help millions of customers experience these amazing products for the first time. We are also thrilled to be launching iOS 7 next Wednesday.

Cook also reveals why the even wasn't live streamed to other Apple corporate and retail locations, never mind to the general public: the small Cupertino Town Hall venue proved to be a limitation. (The iPhone 4S event which took place at the same location was also not live streamed).

This is a big moment for iPhone, because we've created two new phone lines to replace the existing iPhone 5. This is the first time we've done this. iPhone 5c refines and advances the popular iPhone 5-which was out most popular iPhone ever.

Joz goes on to explain how solid it feels in the hand, thanks to the steel-reinforced, hard-coated polycarbonate shell, but never really answers the question.

Both the email and the Q&A are very high level, talking-point stuff, which is to be expected, but it's still interesting to see how the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5c are being positioned internally, and where Apple might be going with the product line. Give both of them a read.

In my opinion this was a disaster. There's rumors going around apple was at the head of all the leaks, every single thing they announced was already known. If they had kept a lid on things better this probably would have been the best keynote ever, instead it turned out unsurprising and boring.

I literally feel asleep watching it once it was made available. It was that boring. The only thing i did not already know was the software going free. Everything else they leaked. You are probably thinking i was tired... nope, took a nap earlier, still feel asleep. Will get the wife one and start looking for my next phone elsewhere.

I still don't understand why they didn't live stream it. Instead I had to watch Rene/Leo (no offense guys) rehash what the Verge & others were tweeting out of the event and THEN watch the event a few hours later.

Cook: "It is a small venue which limits our ability to show the keynote live"
9to5mac: "Cook further shares that Apple could not stream today’s event to employees because of the limitations surrounding the small Town Hall venue"

Neither of these quotes really says anything. I don't understand the "limitation" but yet they could release it a few hours later.

The very easy fix to take care of all those limitations, Have the event in a location where it could be streamed live. Why hasn't anyone asked that question??? I also listened to Rene hash it out with all kinds of tech issues coming from his sources, switched over to the Verge where they had someone in there sending out tweets. After watching the event from a taped version.

The question that comes to mind after this. For a tech reporter, assuming you got an invite, would you still go to an Apple iPhone event? There's nothing new that's announced, it's all been leaked already, and the last few announcements have pretty much been blah. Is there a return on the investment to go vs just rehash what's announced?

I was very disappointed with the presentation as well. Chalk it up to all the "leaks" or whatever, but there wasn't anything new to make me (and those in the audience) go "ooooh" or "ahhhh" like with the iPhone 4. Personally, I would like to see fewer leaks so I will be more awed when an announcement is made.